Film Review – The Village Detective: A Song Cycle
Bill Morrison is undoubtedly one of the most interesting filmmakers working within non-fiction cinema today. His approach to his subject is wholly unique and is greatly influenced by his art. Most of his work has been collaborations with musical artists and this was also the case for his most famous film Dawson City, Frozen Time. …
Film Review: Gaia
In ancient times, man used to worship the gods of nature. In tune with and wholly dependent on the natural world around them, they would give sacrifices to these elemental forces which their tenuous existence depended on. Today, these figures have been almost entirely replaced and forgotten, but many of the old ways still remain …
Blu-Ray Review: The Lighthouse
There’s nothing little Englanders like more than to reference ‘the war’. Indeed, this has always been the case and martial language has seeped into many aspects of our daily lives. Used by populist politicians as a dog whistle to imbue people with a sense of nationalistic pride. Conflict is often glamorised on our screens, although …
Blu-Ray Review: Paranormal Activity
One of the most contentious and derided areas of horror cinema is the sub-genre of found footage films. It’s a conceit that was occasionally used in the past but first came to prominence with the release of The Blair Witch Project in 1999. It has been used badly so many times since, but had a …
Blu-ray Review: Duel to the Death
When Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was released in 2000 it became a massive box office hit and captured the imagination of film fans across the world, spawning a number of imitators. However, its popularity didn’t come as a surprise to some. Ching Siu-tung, aka Tony Ching, had been working as a director and stunt coordinator …
TIFF Review: Burning
Despite the overwhelming evidence and a general consensus within the scientific community, there is still a vocal minority who reject climate change as nothing more than a natural phenomenon. True, to some extent global warming is inexorable, but the actions of humans mean it’s speeding up at an unprecedented and frightening rate. We are in …
Film Review: The Djinn
Islamic theology, mythology and folklore is full of references to spirits, demons and supernatural creatures. References to the Djinn (Jinn or in Western parlance, genie) are frequent and the concept of these beings has survived throughout the ages. These invisible entities are associated closely with fire and are often said to materialise in animal or …
TIFF Review: After Blue
You might think that westerns are an outdated genre. One which harks back to the likes of John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, Gary Cooper and Jimmy Stewart. A world of taciturn, broody and angry men. Of hard drinking heroes and women in need of rescue. The good guys and the bad guys. The cowboys and Indians. …
Tiff Review: The Other Tom
It is estimated that something like seven million children in the United States suffer from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This behavioural and mental disorder, characterised by bouts of excessive energy and often impulsive actions, affects around one in ten of all under-eighteens. While diagnosis is still an issue, treatment has become increasingly controversial; medical …
TIFF Review: Medusa
Since his victory in the elections at the beginning of 2019, President Jair Bolsonaro’s reign has been controversial, to say the least. Styling himself as a South American Donald Trump, his populist and militaristic leadership has resulted in clamp downs on individual freedoms, a rise in corruption and violence, and an elevation of the church’s …